Former Leaf Rapids postal worker charged with fraud, forgery

A 56-year-old woman who ran the post office in Leaf Rapids is facing 28 charges of fraud, forgery and mail theft, RCMP said today.

Investigators began to look at the case in May 2010 when the Leaf Rapids detachment was contacted by Employment and Income Assistance and Canada Post over suspicious activities at the post office.

The allegations related to the handing of individuals' Income Security cards and cheques by a staff member at the post office.

Last month, RCMP turned over evidence to the Crown, and on Dec. 5 Geraldine Cockerill of Leaf Rapids, the post mistress at the time of the alleged offences, was charged with four counts of fraud under $5,000, eight counts of uttering a forged document, eight counts of forgery and eight counts of theft from mail.

Police believe the alleged offences occurred between December 2009 and April 2010, including forged signatures on Employment and Income Assistance cards and cheques.

On Tuesday, she was served a summons to appear in Leaf Rapids Court on March 20, 2013.